Peabody Trust Pinch Housing, London

Design

The massing responds to adjacent buildings with materials which contextualise to the locality. The street facades are aligned with the Peabody buildings and most of St Johns Grove. This alignment screens the pub garden space from the rest of the street. The folded in side walls create side gardens and respond to site trees. The roof comes from the adjacent roof buildings with their double roofs. The design makes a series to vernacular references to British residential architecture through its language and materiality. Site angles create a contemporary faceted envelope with mixed glazed openings according to room needs.

Innovation – Outdoor Space, Passive design

All 8 flats have outdoor space (gardens or sky terraces). This is achieved with garden access to 4 ground floor flats and an inverted social layout on the top floor directly connected to outside spaces terraces for the 4 maisonettes. This is a reflection of a current trend of dining connected to the outdoors. Daylight and energy are carefully considered with 6 of the 8 flats have large south glazed areas for passive gain (see below).

Sustainability

The building is designed to maximise solar penetration due south east and west in winter with shading eaves for summer. A minimum amount of openings were created towards north. The design follows “PassivHaus” principles with thickly insulated walls and roof, compact plan, windows oriented for solar gain. Code level 4 or better would be achieved with passivhaus and potential rooftop solar collector array.

50% Wheel Chair Accessibility – 4 ground floor flats

All 4 ground floor flats (50% of development) were designed for possible wheelchair access (dotted 1500mm circles in all rooms for wheelchair turning). Upper maisonettes can meet Lifetime homes with future stair lifts fitted as needed on the straight running stairs.

Independent Private Access all flats

8 Separate entrys with no communal entrance avoiding the problem of maintenance and crime. The independent entrance approach makes it more secure and reinforces a sense of ownership. Lack of communal circulation allowed for larger flats with less wasted space. Separate bin stores at each entrance.